Good golf course maintenance customarily requires an effective means for repairing divots caused when a portion of the turf is taken in hitting the ball. In certain types of grasses, the divot can be replaced and will grow back in a relatively short period of time. However, other types of grasses, for example, certain bent and bermuda grasses that are used in the southern part of the United States do not tend to grow back and it is therefore recommended that the golfer not attempt to replace the divot. Instead, the golf carts are equipped with a bucket or open container filled with a seed and dirt mixture, or a dressing, and a scoop is employed to permit the golfer to spread the seed and dirt mixture over the bare spot which is left when the divot is taken. Such a method for repairing divots is time-consuming and tends to slow down play and is not always efficient in use. Moreover, if the mixture should become damp or wet as a result of inclement weather conditions, it is very difficult to spread.
Accordingly, there is a definite need for a dispenser tool which can be conveniently stored on a golf cart and rapidly but effectively used to repair divots while avoiding the aforementioned problems. Seed dispenser units have been devised in the past for reseeding bare spots in a lawn and, for example, reference is made R. F. Walsh U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,714 in which telescoping tubular members include an inner member which actuates a ball-shaped valve confined within a cage to release seed from an upper chamber area formed by the outer tubular member above the valve. The telescoping tubular members are compressed together, for example, by pressing the lower tubular member against the ground surface so as to open the valve and permit a measured amount of seed to be deposited.
In A. W. Molinare U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,318 a tubular dispenser is provided for releasing fertilizer from the handle portion of a shovel by means of an inner rod working in cooperation with a pair of valve members to cause a powder-like fertilizer material to be released through a lateral opening above the earth-working implement or shovel at the lower end of the tool. Other representative patents in this field are those U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,600,131 to O. Schwarm et al; 431,841 to J. D. Davis; 4,694,760 to J. A. Camp and 3,749,034 to M. H. Bergius et al.
Repairing a divot taken on the golf course presents somewhat different considerations from those involved in reseeding bare spots on a lawn in that a portion of the turf is removed along with the grass and most golfers are not prone to spend the necessary time or effort in repairing the divot. Accordingly, it is important that the seed be dispensed along with a dirt or dressing mixture which will replace the turf that has been lost and at the same time provide an effective carrier for the seed which will permit it to take hold and grow. However, a particular problem presented in dispensing a combination of seed and dirt or other dressing material is its tendency to become compacted within the confines of a tubular housing. It is therefore proposed to overcome the foregoing problems peculiar to repair of divots by employing a tool which can be conveniently used either by a golfer or maintenance crew to more rapidly and effectively repair divots and which also serves as an effective means for repairing patches or bare spots in any lawn area.